Victims of Alzheimer's disease and other non-violent patients often need to be restrained to a bed or other recumbent means for their own safety. For example, bed-ridden patients must be restrained from removing catheters or from wandering off.
There are many restraint systems available to restrain these non-violet patients to the bed, but most restraint systems are designed to restrain violent patients, and are strong and unyielding.
Some restraint systems have been adapted to nonviolent patients; and example includes wrist bands lined with fleece. These wrist restraints are tied to the sides of the bed, and force the wrists and hands to be separated, maintained along the sides of the patient. Many nonviolent patients struggle against such restraints, typically seeking to find comfort in clasping their hands together. In such struggles, even with fleece-lined restraints, the patients suffer from chaffed wrists and sores, as well as hand swelling from reducedd blood circulation. Further, they suffer the psychological eprivation of being unable to simply clasp their hands together.
With the noticeable increase in numbers of victims suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other debilitating diseases requiring passive restraint, a new apaproach to restraints is needed, one which will provide the necessary restraining action without physical chaffing of the victim, yet while permitting the victim to enjoy the psychological comfort of being able to clasp the hands together.